May 5, 2021
Hello everyone,
On behalf of the Board and myself, I hope that this note finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. It is hard to believe that our last meeting together as a chorus was 13 months ago. So much has changed, both globally and within our own lives. While there is far more hope than we had then, there are still so many questions to be answered.
I want to let everyone know that the Board has decided that September is far too early for us to consider coming together to sing. First and foremost, the safety of every member of our community is our top priority. Until such time that we are advised by health and government officials that we can safely meet as a group without a cap on the number of people congregating, we simply are not willing to take that risk.
Please know that we have every intention to continue to sing as a group when it is safe to do so. It is simply not possible yet.
Once we do start up, we have to be prepared for, well, just about anything. What will a semester look like? Can we simply dive back in as if we’ve been off for the summer? Probably not. Given that most of us have done little more than sing in the shower for the past year, we believe that we will use the first semester to find our way back to where we were and do not anticipate having a performance.
In addition, there is considerable work to do before we are prepared to begin rehearsals. At this point, we have a to-do list that is one and a half pages long (single space!). Each of these tasks is considered essential to our ability to open the doors to the office, let alone a rehearsal space. And until we truly understand when we will be able to come together, we cannot begin the process for hiring staff.
So while the Beach Boys may be singing “See You in September”, we will have to wait it out.
In the meantime, the Board still meets every 4–6 weeks to address ongoing issues and responsibilities. Some of us are attending various seminars that help provide guidance for community choruses and other types of choral groups to plan for reopening the doors. Others are working to see if there are grant opportunities for which we may apply.
I realize that this is not the news that anyone wanted to hear; however, the Board firmly believes that we need to be transparent and timely with our decisions and communications, both uplifting and disappointing. If you have any questions, please feel to reach out to us through info@mccsings.org and Felicia will make sure that the message is forwarded to us.
Thank you for your continued support. It means the world to us.
Cheers,
Carole
Midcoast Community Chorus (MCC) is a vibrant and dynamic 501c3 non-profit organization providing choral programs for all ages and all voices.
We welcome everyone ages 13 and up to sing with us or become a member. Children age 15 or younger must be accompanied by a guardian or designated mentor at all times during rehearsals, sectionals and performances. We perform at least two concerts a year in June and January. Our concerts typically sell out and a portion of the proceeds from our June concert are donated to a selected local non-profit organization performing important work in our community.
